


Words Cannot Espresso How Much You Bean to Me

by awesomecookies



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Cute Okumura Eiji, Fluff, Humor, Journalist Eiji Okumura, M/M, Misunderstandings, Pining, Pining Ash Lynx
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:41:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25686751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awesomecookies/pseuds/awesomecookies
Summary: "So umm...do you know why I'm here?" He didn't lose the warmth and friendliness in his voice, but there's an edge to it that's definitely more professional.Ash shrugged. "Not a hundred percent, no.""Yes, as you know this publication has, and always been an adamant supporter of the LGBTQ movement, and an advocate for equal right for the students. Your establishment seemed to be accused of homophobic actions as of the late." Eiji listed off on his notepad. His tongue peeked out of his tongue as he wrote it down, something that shouldn't distract Ash that much."I'm going to clear things up and say that you are accusing me of being a homophobe." Ash's chest was pounding, just as his head was equally throbbing."Sorry?" Eiji faltered."Me. I'm the one who asked them to leave, so you're accusing me of being a homophobe." Ash explained.Eiji's eyes widened, looking confused. "You asked a gay couple to leave?""No!" Ash groaned.
Relationships: Ash Lynx & Shorter Wong, Ash Lynx/Okumura Eiji, Lee Yut-Lung & Okumura Eiji, Lee Yut-Lung/Sing Soo-Ling
Comments: 32
Kudos: 333





	Words Cannot Espresso How Much You Bean to Me

**Author's Note:**

> I got sad and this was the result. I wrote half of this last night before I fell asleep and the other half today while suffering cramps. It was supposed to be for Eiji day but I couldn't muster up the thought to make something profound and poetic so here's...this

See, Ash was not having a good day.

In fact, he might as well call this a shit day after all. Being in the customer service industry was a plague. There were too many insufferable people in this world and there was too little pay, but Ash was a college student in America, and like every college student in America, student loans was a bitch to deal with and so he simply had to endure while Griffin did the best he could to send him a little money from time to time. 

He tried to keep calm and work his part time in this cafe by the campus. Every part time counted, plus Griffin was friends with the owner and Max was kind enough to let him in. So really, Ash would count himself lucky. He really did.

Just not today.

"Hello, I'm Aslan, the manager in this establishment. Can you please tell me what's the situation right now?" Ash pasted on the most civil smile he could manage, while Alex rang him up from the office. He was manager now as Max had made him while he went off doing whatever the hell it was he usually did when he wasn't working. 

The man had a long ponytail, staring at his nails haughtily. Next to him was a smaller kid who shuffled around uncomfortably as his companion huffed. "Yeah, your server messed up my drink twice. I can believe you hire such incompetent personnel." The man with the long hair huffed.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Can I remake the order for you?" Ash said this semi-robotically. Honestly anything to deal with customers sounded fake and robotic. Did he care? Absolutely not.

"You better. What else do you think?" The customer snapped.

Ash wanted to deck him in the face, but since he was a professional, he made the man's (rather specific and irritatingly complicated) order and set it on the counter.

The man inspected it and took a sip.

"Fuck this." The man spat out seconds after the straw touched his lips. "This is all shit. Why are all of you so incompetent?!"

"Yue..." The shorter kid murmured, but the long haired man continued on his fit.

Now Ash knew for a fact he did the drink right. He knew of course, he did it himself, and whatever this man's problem was, was obviously just him wanting to be an asshole. 

"Fuck this," Ash growled at the customer. "You are absolutely causing a scene. I exercise my right to refuse anyone service." He pointed at the door, glaring at the rude customers. "Leave." 

The man spluttered. "You can't do that!"

Ash didn't care what Max would tell him now. He didn't fucking care. He was tired and this pesky customer just wouldn't stop yelling at him. "Yes I can. We don't accept your kind here." 

The man's eyes widened, something about those words got him to look so furious, well more furious than he was before. "This is bullshit!" He grasped the kid's hand tighter. "Homophobic bullshit!" 

Ash literally did not understand what that was about. He's started to think the man was just spewing whatever he wanted because he never expected to be driven away.

"Sing, let's go. We don't need to be with a bunch of homophobes." He pulled the boy away and stomped outside. Ash stared at Alex in a little confusion. Perhaps they missed something. But Ash also was too tired to think through what it meant. 

At least the shop was quiet for the rest of the day, and Ash was able to rest just a little bit before going home.

Little did he knew that whole day just spelled out disaster.

* * *

"You're...what now?" 

Ash pinched the bridge of his nose while he walked faster to the shop. This time, it was Shorter manning the counter and he looked completely confused at whatever was happening just as Ash walked through the backdoor into the store.

"There seems to be a situation." Shorter pointed at the group of people crowding outside the store, around ten to fifteen people with their backs turned and placards held up. They weren't causing any noise, they're just making it really difficult to move around. 

Ash opened the door and confronted them. The jingle of the bell chimes alerted them and caused them to turn to face him. One of them was a familiar face.

"Cain?" Ash spluttered when he saw him.

"Yo, Ash!" He grinned at him, bit then realized where he had come from and immediately sobered up. He was Ash's classmate in political science, what the hell was he doing here? 

Ash stared at their placards and signages, the answer was staring at him right in the face.

_This establishment is anti LGBTQ._

It read.

Ash groaned. "Can someone explain what the fuck is happening?" Ash grumbled at the small crowed gathered. "What the fuck is all this?!"

"Ya, you see, I don’t know if you're aware but yesterday an altercation occurred with two employees here and a gay couple. They were told that “their kind” wasn't allowed here. Kinda fucked up.” Cain crossed his arm.

Ash blinked at what he said. He wanted to laugh. He did laugh, and all the other people looked at him with a dirty glare.

"What are you laughing about?" Some other guy with shifty eyes and probably Asian descent grumbled at him. "It's 2020. It's disgusting behavior and we demand reparations!"

"I'm sorry what?" Ash ran a hand through his face. Surely this was a prank? Some kind of social experiment those psychology majors were doing? This was utterly ridiculous.

"A gay couple was kicked out here unjustly yesterday." The man continued.

"Uh huh." Ash looked at them with disbelief. "You know there's a heck ton of other gay people coming in here right?" 

Cain nodded, the other man was reluctant to awknowledge this. 

"Has this incident happened before?!" 

Cain had the decency to look a little sheepish. "Well no--"

"Then why would I--" Ash gestured at himself. "Kick out a gay couple? I don't even know they were a couple!"

But the other guy narrowed his eyes. "You kicked then out?" 

Ash facepalmed. How did he only zero into that detail? "Yeah--"

"Say no more." He turned his back at him and continued...whatever protest they were making. Cain shrugged and continued what they were doing.

"You're all fucking ridiculous!" Ash hissed. 

"Ooh straight white and homophobic cis male has a different opinion." One of the people in the crowd taunted. 

That irked Ash some more. "I'm fucking bisexual!" He slammed the door close before going back in to the shop, Shorter looking at him with a look of concern.

"Was that Lao?" Shorter tilted his head. But Ash didn't care about that. He was fucking angry. 

"I can't believe they thought I kicked out those two yesterday because they were gay!" Ash snarled. "They were assholes! That's why I kicked them out!" 

"Oh boy." Shorter clicked his tongue. "That's why they're outside?"

"Yeah." Ash rolled his eyes. "Can you believe they thought I was homophobic _and_ straight? Jesus Christ. It's one to call me a homophobe, but straight? That's just insulting!" 

Shorter laughed. "You're one of the gayest people I've met Ash, I saw you in drag in pride last year."

Ash flapped his hand. "Exactly! Tell that to those people outside!" 

Shorter hummed. "Let me talk to Lao. I think I can put some sense into him." He went out and started a conversation with the Chinese guy from awhile ago. Ash stared at the conversation until it ended and Shorter had re-entered.

"He said, they'll stop if you apologize." 

"Fuck that! I did nothing wrong!" Ash huffed. The crowd continued to stand outside. "Well, they can't last days. I'm sure they'll get tired." 

Ash was positive about this.

* * *

Maybe he was wrong, because it was the fourth day and they were still standing outside. 

Ash literally didn't care, but he'd be happy if they could get more customers. Not that he usually liked them, he just missed thinking about hating people while on the job. Plus less customers meant less cash.

"Bring it on." Ash grinned lazily anyway. "I literally don't care what they do. Nothing can get me out. I'm innocent and I'm not giving them the satisfaction of hearing me apologize."

But he supposed the world had its way of fucking with him because goddamn, that was none other than Eiji Okumura headed this way with his camera and notepad, and he's taking pictures of the scene.

"Fuck!" Ash immediately ran back to the office before the Japanese could see him as he went in the counter. He pressed his back against the door, calming down his breaths and his heart. That was Eiji. Eiji Okumura, who was in journalism and admittedly, the man Ash and fantasized about ever since they took creative writing together. Ash was shit with creative writing, but he didn't drop it because of him, and the power of his bisexual ass alone.

"Ash, we have a situation." Shorter opened the door so suddenly, making Ash jump from his own skin. 

"I know!" Ash screeched. "Eiji is here!" 

Shorter tilted his head, smirking at him. "He said he wanted to do an article about it." 

Ash was damn near collapsing. "Tell him to set an appointment!" 

"Alright, I'll tell your lover boy that." Shorter snickered, absolutely aware of Ash's crush on him. He's absolutely never gonna let him live this down.

After some long negotiation, Eiji was convinced to do the interview that weekend. 

Ash was not able to sleep the entire day, or the day after that. All he could think about was how his crush probably thought he was some kind of homophobic piece of shit. Ash internally despaired and continued to do so as the time and date of the interview arrived sooner.

"You'll be alright." Shorter set a plate of tiramisu cake and dark coffee. "Eiji doesn't bite." 

"What will I tell him Shorter? That I can't possibly be homophobic because I'm fucking gay myself and I've been fantasizing about men my whole life, and when I say men I mean him specifically. Is that alright?! What the fuck Shorter?!" Because sure, he'll be able to say that to the most attractive, most adorable, and probably the straightest man in this entire campus. 

Shorter laughed, the useless fuck that was he was as a bestfriend. "You better, because there he comes." 

Ash nearly spilled coffee all over his shirt, which would have been a shame, because he actually dressed up properly for today. Crisp black jeans and a white button down shirt that was a little tight around his chest. He also sprayed on some cologne, which got Shorter to raise a brow. Not that he was trying to look good to Eiji. He's definitely not hoping Eiji would look at him and think he looked great. Nope. Definitely. 

The door chimed open and the very same man from yesterday came in, somehow even better looking than yesterday. He was just in a simple pink sweater and a blue jacket, but fuck his cheeks were flushed, his hair windswept and a little unkempt. Those white pants didn't leave anything to imagination either as they hugged around his legs.

Someone help Ash. 

"Aslan?" 

Was Eiji's first words to him the moment he saw him on the table with his tiramisu cake and coffee. 

"Umm...hi?" Ash was mostly gobsmacked to learn that Eiji knew his name. 

"You work here?" Eiji looked around before he sat on the chair across him. Ash could feel his soul ascending. 

"I'm the manager, actually." Ash cleared his throat. 

"Oh." Eiji beamed. "That's uhh...lovely. That means I'll be interviewing you."

Ash figured this was how Eiji was such a good journalist. He'll seduce people with his cute face and lower their defenses. Something about that face just makes you want to blurt out all your secrets and bear your heart out.

"Right." Ash said stiffly. 

"Do you remember me though? I'm Eiji Okumura." He introduced himself once again. "We had creative writing class together once."

Ash didn't know where the hell he got the idea that Ash forgot. From the very first day they met and that one chance where he was able to sit together with the man, he's never been able stop think about him at all. Like he said, fantasizing. 

"Yeah." Ash really couldn't say all of that could he? He noted the slight disappointment in his face though, before hardening into his journalist face. The switch was actually a little hot.

"So umm...do you know why I'm here?" He didn't lose the warmth and friendliness in his voice, but there's an edge to it that's definitely more professional.

Ash shrugged. "Not a hundred percent, no."

"Yes, as you know this publication has, and always been an adamant supporter of the LGBTQ movement, and an advocate for equal right for the students. Your establishment seemed to be accused of homophobic actions as of the late." Eiji listed off on his notepad. His tongue peeked out of his teeth as he wrote it down, something that shouldn't distract Ash that much. 

"I'm going to clear things up and say that you are accusing me of being a homophobe." Ash's chest was pounding, just as his head was equally throbbing.

"Sorry?" Eiji faltered.

"Me. I'm the one who asked them to leave, so you're accusing me of being a homophobe." Ash explained. 

Eiji's eyes widened, looking confused. "You asked a gay couple to leave?" 

"No!" Ash groaned. "Well, maybe--yes I did technically, but I didn't know they were together! God, I asked them to leave because they were being assholes. No, one of them was and his other companion just stared at him as he harassed my coworker, making him do the drink he ordered twice and when I personally did it for him, he still went off and continued complaining! That's why I let them leave! I don't serve to rude customers." 

Eiji blinked at him, probably shocked at the onslaught of info Ash unleashed upon him. His face was a little pink. So was Ash's. He felt a little embarrassed at his outburst.

"Oh, they were rude." Eiji nodded slowly, probably dumbfounded.

"Yeah, trust me. I'm not at all homophobic." Ash sighed, fingers rubbing his temples. "I'm bisexual for goodness, sake." He clamped his mouth shut and looked at Eiji. He was somehow redder in the face, and his mouth parted. 

"Ah. I figured some things didn't add up." Eiji bit his lip. "That was my friend and his boyfriend you asked to leave. Yue was...ah, his mom kind of died that day and he's gotten into a fight with his stepbrothers. I hope you don't hate him, but I get that that's not excuse to be mean."

Oh. Ash did feel a bit guilty. But it was true that didn't mean he was free to be an asshole to everyone. That guy needed to take accountability.

"Wait, how did this blow up then?" 

"Yes, about that. Sing, Yue's boyfriend, has a stepbrother and he's a little overprotective so when he heard from Yue what he thought happened, he went...uhh how do you say that? Apeshit." 

Ash snorted, and Eiji shot him a smile and a giggle. Oh god that sounded so adorable. 

"Ah damn, what the fuck." Ash can't help but let a breath of laughter as well. The whole situation was ridiculous. 

"I mean, you said 'we don't accept your kind' and my friend was a little sensitive especially that it's the exact reason why they were fighting with his family." Eiji smiled sadly.

"Look, if you want to, I can meet them again and talk. I won't apologize because they were being rude, but we can clear some things out." Ash offered.

Eiji grasped his hand. Ash's face instantly turned red. "You will?" 

Well, Ash really wouldn't be able to refuse that. Especially with how his face seemed to dazzle Ash with its brightness.

"Yeah. Sure." 

Eiji's grasped his hand some more, squeezing it with the heat of his palms. "Thank you!" 

And then with that he got up and left without even finishing the interview. Ash was left to stare at his leaving figure. 

* * *

Somehow they did clear it up and Lee Yut-Lung together with his boyfriend Sing Soo-Ling sat across Ash, Alex and Shorter. The people outside had thankfully dispersed after getting informed that they were sorting things out at the moment. 

Yut-Lung glared at Ash. "I apologise for my behavior." He said between gritted teeth. "As Eiji said, I was....in a terrible headspace."

Ash huffed. "That doesn't excuse your harassment."

"I know that asshole--" Yut-Lung took a sharp intake of breath before snapping. He sighed and calmed down. "That's why I'm here, yes? To make amends? Right. I'll pay for the damages in your reputation and for the days they started protesting." He whipped out his black American Express card with little regard. "I'll also release a statement. Happy?"

Ash wasn't exactly happy, but it was done so whatever. He hoped he didn't have to see him again, or to meet as less as possible.

"Sorry for my brother. Lao can be too much sometimes." Sing rubbed his head. "He probably wouldn't have done it if he realized Shorter was working here." 

"What can you do kid, he's being your brother." Shorter shrugged. 

Ash sighed. "Well, glad that's over and cleared up. Let's never talk of this moment ever again."

* * *

Things started to get back to normal, and Ash was manning the counter at the moment with the store slow at this time of the day, all the other employees in class. Ash was doing his homework on the counter when the door jingled open.

He looked up to greet the customer and get back to work when it was none other than Eiji facing him.

"Hi." He started, a little breathless. He was in a mint green jacket and some tight jeans. 

"Hey." Ash straightened up and quashed down the pounding in his chest. 

"Thanks for the other day." 

"What?" 

"For talking to my friend." Eiji clarified. "Thanks for that."

"Oh." Ash nodded. "That's no problem. Anyway, order?"

"Ah, yeah um...a latte is fine?" Eiji bit his lip. He often did that apparently. Some kind of habit.

"Right." He started to punch the order in and then did his job. "So, how's the article?" Ash started whatever small talk his brain could grasp on.

"What article?" Eiji tilted his head.

Strange. How forgetful of him. "The one you interviewed me for?" 

"Ah." Eiji licked his lips. "It's uh... going good?" He said as if it was a question rather than a statement.

"Good?"

"Ah fuck, I'm bad at lying. I didn't need to write an article. That was a lie I made which frankly surprised me how I was able to pull it off." Eiji blurted out.

Ash thankfully didn't pour the milk on his hand from sheer surprise 

"What?" 

Eiji's face was burning red. "I uhh...when Sing told me you worked here, I made that excuse to come here and maybe talk to you. I didn't know you were that involved and partially I did wonder if there was a story to be found but I didn't really need to do it?" He looked at Ash with an apologetic and guilty expression.

Eiji did it to talk to him? Ash pinched his hand. That was too impossible. He must be dreaming. 

"Then what--why?"

"The thing is, I kinda noticed you in class and you're pretty smart. And also really pretty in general oh my god." Eiji murmured.

Now Ash was sure he was dreaming. Eiji was calling him smart and pretty. Fuck.

"So...you made up an article as an excuse to talk to me?" Ash's mind was still trying to comprehend it.

"Yeah, basically." Eiji confirmed.

"And you did that because...?"

Eiji laughed nervously. "I like you? And I want to maybe go in a date with you? Maybe buy you coffee." 

That was it. Ash had died and ascended. Eiji liked him. Eiji was not straight and he liked him. This was a dream. He needed to dunk his head in the steaming milk and wake up. Holy fuck. 

"Say something?" Eiji but his lips, face already bright red. 

"I..." Ash's words were stuck in his throat. "I..." Eiji's face shined bright with hope. He wanted to say that he liked him too. Ever since creative writing class. "I'm really fucking tired of coffee right now." He said instead, and Eiji's face visibly deflated.

"Oh--"

"But!" Ash immediately cut in before he could get any other ideas. "I would love to go to dinner with you." 

Eiji immediately perked up. "You do?" 

Ash laughed, face hot as well. "I do." 

Eiji bit his lip. "Okay." He giggled. "Okay, I'll pick you up here at six?" 

"I'll be waiting."

Who would've expect being mistaken as a homophobe would score him a date?

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah anyway because I can't ever take a single trope and make it normal lmao anyway. It has to be a little weird. But this is actually inspired from another fic I simply cannot remember snd find. It's just living in my head rent free
> 
> Anyway


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